Botany; Geotropism; Plants -- Irritability and movements
Erythrina (Tribe 8).—Five species were observed, and the leaflets of
all sank vertically down at night; with E. caffra and with a second
unnamed species, the petioles at the same time rose slightly. The
movements of the terminal leaflet of E. crista-galli (with the main
petiole secured to a stick) were traced from 6.40 A.M. June 8th, to 8
A.M. on the 10th. In order to observe the nyctitropic movements of this
plant, it is necessary that it should have grown in a warm greenhouse,
for out of doors in our climate it does not sleep. We see in the
tracing (Fig. 152) that the leaflet oscillated twice up and down
between early morning and noon; it then fell greatly, afterwards rising
till 3 P.M. At this latter hour the great nocturnal fall commenced. On
the second day (of which the tracing is not given) there was exactly
the same double oscillation before noon, but only a very small one in
the afternoon. On the third morning the leaflet moved laterally, which
was due to its beginning to assume an oblique position, as seems
invariably to occur with the leaflets of this species as they grow old.
On both nights after the leaflets were asleep and hung vertically down,
they continued to move a little both up and down, and from side to
side.
Erythrina caffra.—A filament was fixed transversely across
a terminal leaflet, as we wished to observe its movements when asleep.
The plant was placed in the morning of June 10th under a skylight,
where the light was not bright; and we do not know whether it was owing
to this cause or to the plant having been disturbed, but the leaflet
hung vertically down all day; nevertheless it circumnutated in this
position, describing a figure which represented two irregular ellipses.
On the next day it circumnutated in a greater degree, describing four
irregular ellipses, and by 3 P.M. had risen into a horizontal position.
By 7.15 P.M. it was asleep and vertically dependent, but continued to
circumnutate as long as observed, until 11 P.M.
Fig. 152. Erythrina crista-galli: circumnutation and nyctitropic
movement of terminal leaflet, 3 3/4 inches in length, traced during 25
h.; apex of leaf 3½ inches from the vertical glass. Figure reduced to
one-half of original scale. Plant illuminated from above; temp.
17½°–18½° C.
Erythrina corallodendron.—The movements of a terminal leaflet were
traced. During the second day it oscillated four times up and four
times down between 8 A.M. and 4 P.M., after which hour the great
nocturnal fall commenced. On the third day the movement was equally
great in amplitude, but was remarkably simple, for the leaflet rose in
an almost perfectly straight line from 6.50 A.M. to 3 P.M., and then
sank down in an equally straight line until vertically dependent and
asleep.
Apios tuberosa (Tribe 8).—The leaflets sink vertically down at night.
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